Author's Note: And we're finally getting to Beasting Village here. I ended up having to split this into two separate chapters, just because there was so much I wanted to include here. But we get to have Ochette and lots of cute stuff, because the fic really needs some cute stuff.
Chapter Five: Island Adventures, Part I
Hector was fascinated with the concept of reading, which Osvald was pleased to see.
The journey to New Delsta took several days, and Osvald started reading one of the books he'd picked up to Hector when they stopped for breaks. Hector listened raptly, leaning up against him and watching as Osvald's finger traced over the words. He squinted as he peered down at the pages, clearly trying to memorize which letters went into which words, and occasionally stopping to spell out certain words after Osvald read them.
It reminded him of teaching Elena to read, Osvald thought with faint amusement. She'd already been a decent reader by the time she was three, but Hector was picking it up quickly. He'd likely be doing it on his own soon.
And…he wanted to tell Hector about Elena, too. Osvald didn't mean to put it off; he just hadn't found an opportunity to do so yet. He wondered how Elena would react when she met Hector, but…well, she knew how Harvey was. She was a smart girl; she'd understand what had happened to Hector.
But they'd cross that bridge when they got there. For now, Hector's handwriting was improving, too. Osvald taught him how to spell a few more words, and Hector always looked extremely pleased with himself when he finished writing them out.
"You're doing wonderfully, Hector," he said as they settled into the inn that evening.
"Wonderfully?"
He blinked as he repeated the new word, but he could clearly tell it was a compliment. Hector straightened up and grinned, and even his frills perked up slightly. It was—well, strangely adorable, but still adorable.
"Yes, it means 'very good.' Here, I'll show you how that's spelled."
Hector watched as Osvald wrote it out, squinting down at the paper. Finally, he said, "It's very long," in a matter-of-fact tone. Osvald raised an eyebrow in amusement as he set the quill down.
"I suppose so. But it's good for you to learn new words."
Hector nodded as they got ready for bed. They'd have to get up early the next morning to make it to the docks on time… That would take at least a day, maybe two, and Osvald wanted to catch the soonest ship to Toto'haha. Fortunately, Hector fell asleep quickly, as he usually did; then, in the morning, it was time to head out.
"…What are they?" Hector asked, staring at the ships in amazement when they reached the docks.
There were several boats moored in the harbor, and his eyes were drawn to the largest one. Fortunately, there was one headed for Toto'haha, according to the posted schedule. Osvald rummaged around in his coat pockets for ticket money as he answered Hector's question.
"Ships? They take you across the ocean." He paid one of the ticket dealers, who then directed them to the proper boat. "Here, hang on to me…"
Hector squeezed his hand as they boarded, and he glanced around the deck. There were a few other people loitering around, some of whom leaned idly against the opposite railing as they conversed. Hector was instantly drawn to the far side, and he clung to the railing and stood up on his tiptoes as he looked out at the water.
"…It's big," he said eventually.
"Which is why you have to be careful." Osvald directed him away from the railing. "You can look, but don't get too close."
Hector nodded, but he glanced over his shoulder when Osvald decided to find their cabin. He might've been fascinated by the newness of it all, or maybe the Froggen blood drew Hector to the water. Or both. They'd have plenty of time to work that out, Osvald supposed.
The journey took nearly a week, and Hector's reading skills improved immensely during that time. Soon, he was squinting at words and slowly sounding them out. He missed a few here and there, and still did better when Osvald read them first, but he was a quick learner.
When they finally disembarked at Beasting Anchorage, Hector paused and crouched down on the beach. He curiously ran his fingers through the sand, and Osvald watched in amusement. Hector looked up at him earnestly, tugging on Osvald's leg as he spoke.
"Can I…walk in it?"
A few other people had disembarked with them, but they were mostly past Osvald and Hector. They looked like they were heading to Tropu'hopu, and Osvald watched them leave before responding. Fortunately, no one was paying them any attention, and he nodded down at Hector.
"You can. Just hang onto your shoes and don't lose them."
Hector immediately pulled off his shoes. As he stood up, he pressed his feet into the sand, getting used to the feel of it against his skin. Then, he grinned and latched onto Osvald with his free hand.
"I like it," he decided.
"Well, you can probably leave your shoes off while we're here. Just be careful."
Hector nodded, and Osvald couldn't help smiling as they walked. Shoes might end up being an issue as Hector got bigger, and he might've preferred being barefoot anyway. But either way, he doubted the Beastlings were even capable of judging him too much. For now, it would be good for Hector to run around in a place where he didn't have to worry about his appearance.
When they arrived in Beasting Village, Osvald spotted a few young Beastlings coming down from the hill at the south end of the village. Maybe they would know where Ochette was… Osvald hadn't decided how long he would stay, but he wanted to find her soon anyway. It couldn't hurt to ask—
"Pops!"
Well, that answered that question. Osvald grunted as the wind was suddenly knocked out of him. A small yet overly-excitable something crashed into him, and a pair of arms were thrown around his waist. There was a fluttering sound nearby, and Mahina hooted softly and shook her head as Ochette disentangled herself from Osvald.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Ochette bounced up and down as she beamed at him. "How long are you gonna be here? Where are you staying? I bet Ma and Pa would like it if you came to see us—ooh, who's this?"
"Well, it was spur of the moment," Osvald replied as he processed the rapid-fire questions. "And I haven't decided yet. This is Hector. Come here, Hector. It's all right."
Hector had stepped backwards and cocked his head to the side as he watched the exchange. Clearly, he wasn't sure what to make of the bundle of energy that was Ochette. Still, he came forward when Osvald told him to.
"This is Ochette; she's fine. And Mahina…" He gestured to the Malamaowl, who hooted obligingly in introduction. "Hector's my son, Ochette."
"Why didn't you tell me you had a—wait a second." Ochette squinted and sniffed the air around Hector. This prompted him to scrunch his face up in confusion, but he didn't say anything aloud. Finally, Ochette said, "He does kinda smell like you, Pops! But he also smells like that really bad place…"
"Well, yes. That's where I was."
Ochette stared at him for several seconds as it sank in. Her ears drooped as she let out a soft, "Oh." Soon, she perked back up and spun around, waving over her shoulder.
"Right! Well, I gotta tell Master Juvah I'm done training everybody for today. You can come with me if you want! And then you can come over for dinner. I think Mama's making Octopuff stew tonight!"
Ochette darted away, and Osvald sighed as he and Hector followed her. She was as excitable as ever, but that wasn't a bad thing. Hector could probably use a friend like Ochette. As they walked, Hector watched her closely, and then looked up at Osvald.
"Was Ochette there, too?"
Ah, he'd clearly caught the implication that Ochette had been with him at Montwise. Osvald nodded.
"She was. Ochette was…helping me with something."
He'd have to give Hector more details eventually, but Hector accepted that response for now. His eyes went back to Ochette, and they settled on her ears and tail.
"Is she like me?"
"Well…not exactly," Osvald said. "But I suppose Beastlings are similar in some ways. And you can take your hood off here, by the way. No one will mind."
Hector nodded again, and he paused to set his shoes aside. Then, he pulled down his hood, shaking his head as he felt the air on his face. Finally, they caught up with Ochette. She'd bounded over to the small hill on the western side of the village, overlooking the sea, and she was reporting her day's progress to Juvah.
"…and Petra's been doing really well lately! I bet she'll be a great hunter someday," Ochette said proudly.
"Very good, Ochette; your teaching is improving." Juvah paused, glancing over at Osvald and Hector. "And I see you have guests."
"Oh, yeah! Pops—er, Osvald—and Hector are gonna stay here for a while. How long?" she asked again.
"A few weeks, probably," Osvald decided.
Juvah nodded, tilting his head to the side as he examined Osvald. "Very well. And I believe you were here during the Night of the Scarlet Moon? Our island owes you a debt."
Osvald shrugged. "…Well, Ochette also helped me. So it's nothing to worry about."
Juvah huffed lightly, and Osvald couldn't tell if the noise was indignant, amused, or both. Hector blinked as Ochette giggled.
"That's Osvald-speak for 'he's grateful I helped him.' So don't worry about it, Master Juvah!"
Osvald opened his mouth, prepared to give some kind of defensive retort, but Juvah cut him off before he could reply.
"I see. I suppose that's why he was first in line to check on you when the jackal knocked you into the ocean?"
"Yep!" Ochette said cheerfully.
Osvald closed his mouth, folded his arms over his chest, and grunted indignantly. Juvah decidedly looked amused, Ochette laughed again, and Hector looked more confused than ever. He hadn't come all this way to be teased, thank you very much.
"Well, we do appreciate your help. Now, then, Ochette…you may head home for the evening. Don't forget—"
"Yeah, I've gotta go out and hunt for breakfast tomorrow! I remembered. See you later, Master Juvah!"
She waved at him as she turned around and bounced away. Osvald nodded in his direction, which Juvah returned. Finally, he and Hector followed Ochette, but Hector briefly glanced over his shoulder.
"…Big," he commented. "But nice. Like you, Papa."
Osvald's lips twitched involuntarily. Ochette had made the comparison before, too… And he should take it as a compliment that Hector wasn't afraid of him.
"Well, that's a good thing," he replied.
Hector smiled as he latched onto Osvald again. It wasn't long before they saw Ochette duck into one of the huts nearby, and they followed her inside. Mahina perched herself on the nearest windowsill as Ochette announced, "I'm home!" She plopped into a chair, and two Beastlings who must have been her parents glanced up from the kitchen stove.
"Ochette! Just in time," the woman said brightly. "Dinner's ready; almost eating."
"Bringing friends?" her father asked.
"Yep! That's P—Osvald," Ochette replied, clearly trying to avoid calling him 'Pops' around her actual dad. "And his son, Hector. This is my ma and pa, Osvald!"
They introduced themselves as Octavia and Omar, eagerly shaking Osvald's hand before patting Hector on the head. Even the older Beastlings were tiny, Osvald noted… Neither of them even reached his chest. (Though it could've just been a sign of how tall he was.)
At any rate, they all sat around the table, and Octavia put the pot of stew in the middle. Osvald eyed Hector as they ate. He chewed slowly, adjusting to the texture of the Octopuff, and then grinned. Hector took several more bites, a bit too quickly, and Osvald paused with his spoon halfway to his mouth.
"Slow down, Hector. It's not going anywhere."
"…I like it," he replied sheepishly.
"Both of you liking it?" Octavia said eagerly.
Hector nodded, and Osvald swallowed the spoonful he'd been about to eat. "…'s good," he said afterwards. After a few seconds of silence, Osvald added, slightly defensively, "It's very good."
"Wonderful?" Hector suggested.
Osvald reached over to pat him on the head. "Yes, wonderful. You're remembering your words well."
"Aww…" Ochette giggled before taking another bite of her stew. "That's cute. Hector's really adorable, isn't he?"
"Very cute," Octavia agreed.
"Good father," Omar added.
Osvald paused, looking away. He knew there was no use in objecting, and he didn't want to say that he was a poor father in front of Hector. Besides, Hector was clearly pleased with all the compliments, as there was a faint blush on his face. No need to ruin the moment.
"…Thank you. And he is."
Fortunately, the rest of the meal passed with little incident. The only other notable thing happened near the end. Octavia had prepared a few vegetables as well, and Ochette huffily refused to eat them.
"But Mama," she protested. "Why can't I just eat the stew? Meat's better anyway."
"Meat good," Octavia acknowledged. "But vegetables also good!"
Ochette huffed and sank lower in her chair. Osvald gave her a sideways glance and then cleared his throat.
"Eat your vegetables or you can't take a nap on my hair anymore."
"Wh—that's not fair! Come on," she groaned. "Fine!"
Ochette proceeded to scarf down the rest of her meal in record time. Then, she folded her arms and pouted. Everyone turned their attention to Osvald, and Omar—who was seated to his right—curiously reached up and ran a hand through Osvald's hair.
"…What are you doing?"
"Very nice hair," Omar said decisively. "Should be growing mine, too."
Well, that was one way to solve the problem. Ochette was all too eager to change the topic, however. Once everyone was finished eating, she quickly helped them clean up, and then she grabbed Osvald and Hector by the hand.
"Here, I'll show you the guest room! Ma, Pa, they're gonna stay with us for a bit, okay?"
"Oh, no, we'll be here for a while—"
"Friends staying?" Octavia interrupted cheerfully. "Very good! Taking them, Ochette."
…All right, then. Osvald hadn't meant to impose, but that was apparently that. Ochette quickly showed them to a spare bedroom down the hall. Both the beds were Beastling-sized, but the fact that there were two helped. As Osvald set his things down, Ochette backed up, but she paused with her head still in the doorway.
"My room's across the hall," she explained, pointing, "and Ma and Pa's is next door. Washroom's over there if you need it! I'm gonna take Mahina out for a walk, and then I'm going to bed."
Osvald nodded, and Ochette bounded away. Hector observed the room curiously. It was full of brightly-colored rolls of fabric, and the window was merely a square hole cut in the wall with no glass. Fresh air streamed into the room, and Osvald could see the moon rising in the distance; it was later than he'd thought.
"Would you like to sleep by yourself tonight, Hector?" he finally said.
Hector glanced down and bit his lip. He'd obviously gotten used to their traveling setup, and Osvald almost hated to change it, but he knew they'd have to eventually. He knelt down and put a hand on Hector's shoulder.
"We can put the beds closer together. I'll be right here; I promise. Wake me up if you need something."
Hector smiled tentatively and nodded. As they got ready for bed, Osvald was a little sad about the change, but he was also proud of Hector for agreeing to it.
The first few days passed mostly the same. Ochette left early in the morning, returning for breakfast around the time everyone else woke up. ("King Iguana!" she said eagerly the first morning. "I haven't had any in ages!") Then, Osvald took Hector outside and found a comfortable spot to practice reading for a while. Hector was quite good now; he only stumbled over especially long words, and he could read more passages by himself.
Then, they wandered around the island for a while in the afternoon. Hector liked getting the air, and he seemed more comfortable around the Beastlings. He rarely said anything unless spoken to first, but he was much less prone to hiding behind Osvald like he had the first few times he'd met other people.
Finally, on the fourth day (since arrival—their third "full" day), Ochette suddenly plopped herself down next to them. Osvald and Hector had settled down near the western cliff, just past the rows of houses. Hector looked up eagerly; he'd gotten used to Ochette over the past few days.
"Hey, Pops, can I take Hector over to play with the other kids? We just got done training, so it's okay!"
Osvald glanced at Hector. He did need to properly play more often, and Osvald knew he'd be fine as long as he stayed near Ochette. For his part, Hector shifted closer to Ochette, clearly interested in the idea.
"If you want to go, you can. You'll be fine if you stay with Ochette," Osvald said. He turned to Ochette and added pointedly, "Watch him. Be careful."
"I know, I will! Come on, Hector."
Hector took her hand shyly, waving at Osvald with his other hand. "Bye, Papa!"
Osvald had mixed feelings as he watched them go. This was the first time since finding Hector that he'd be out of Osvald's direct line of sight. However, he was still nearby, and Osvald trusted Ochette to take care of him.
Besides…it gave him the time to more thoroughly look over Harvey's notes. He'd only given them a few cursory glances so far, and Osvald knew he needed to give them a better read. Sighing, he got up, moved a little further from the houses, and spread the papers out on the ground in front of him.
…Well, Harvey had certainly gone into detail. Osvald wasn't surprised; he knew how meticulous Harvey had always been. But still…Osvald felt his blood boiling as he read everything. How the idea had come to him; how Harvey had removed Hector from Rita; how Hector had started to develop… All of the minutest details were there. And then came the first few months of Hector's life.
"It won't stop howling at night," read one particular passage. "Still, its growth seems otherwise normal, both for the average human baby and for the typical Island Froggen and Salamander."
Harvey alternated between referring to Hector as "it" and "he." "It" was more common early on, but Osvald couldn't make himself appreciate the fact that he'd shifted more to "he" as Hector got older. (Why should he appreciate it? Harvey clearly hadn't regarded Hector as a human being either way.)
And then there were the descriptions of the magical tests: how Hector had developed his ice magic so quickly and easily. Harvey had obviously never told Hector why he was more fixated on ice than anything else, but that explained the Collared Salamander blood. On the other hand, the Froggen blood had apparently been a random whim.
Frankly, Osvald was surprised he got through the whole stack without setting something on fire. He stood up and paced around, feeling his chest burn more and more. He'd already suspected parts of it, but having the details laid out like that—
"Fire, burn."
All right, now he could blow it off. The flames erupted from his fingertips, forming into huge, smoking balls that let out small bangs before fading away. It was relieving in some strange way, to let his anger literally explode (as foolish as it might have made Osvald feel otherwise).
Finally, Osvald sank back down to the ground and held his head in his hands. It was over now; Hector was physically fine. But emotionally—how had he even survived that? No child deserved to be treated that way. It was a miracle Hector was adjusting as well as he was.
…He needed to do something for Hector, but what?
Meanwhile, Ochette hummed as she led Hector through the village. She'd been training the younger Beastlings on the outskirts of the path to the Tombs of the Wardenbeasts, as she usually did. Mahina flew overhead, and Hector glanced around as he followed her.
Several older Beastlings were bustling around, and they cheerfully greeted Ochette before turning back to whatever they'd been doing. It was…strange, Hector thought. None of the Beastlings had said anything about his looks, unless you counted Ochette and her parents complimenting him. None of them gave him strange looks, either, like most of the people he and Papa had passed by earlier. They must have noticed, but…did they just not care?
Of course, they weren't like most humans, either. Hector's eyes drifted back up to Ochette's ears and tail. Papa had said they weren't exactly like him, but maybe their own differences made them less likely to judge him.
At any rate, Ochette soon arrived at her training area, and she waved eagerly. "I'm back! And I brought Hector!"
Most of the Beastlings turned in their direction, but there were still two of them rolling around on the ground nearby. After a few seconds, they realized what was going on and quickly separated. They scampered over as well, and Mahina hooted in amusement as she settled on a nearby wall fragment.
"Playing with us?"
"Bringing friends?"
"…What do I do?" Hector asked Ochette, happy with the attention but slightly uncertain.
"Oh, right, your pops is really smart and stuff, but he's not good at playing." Ochette huffed. "Honestly, we just do whatever we want. Like running around or climbing things or—"
"You must be very, very careful, Ochette," Mahina called from her perch. "Last time you climbed a pillar, you slipped so, so far!"
Hector cocked his head to the side. "Is it hard? Climbing things?"
Mahina hooted in surprise. "You can understand me?"
Hector ducked halfway behind Ochette. "Should I not?"
"Oh, it's not bad!" Ochette stepped aside and flung an arm over his shoulders. "It's just that most people can't. It's okay, Mahina, you know Hector's nice!"
Well, Hector wasn't sure how to feel about this revelation. He'd heard Mahina speak a handful of times before; he'd just never directly replied until now. But…if most people couldn't…was it okay? It was something that made him different, and he felt a little self-conscious about it.
However…Hector squinted at the wall and looked back up at Mahina. It was pretty high, but…he wanted to see what it was like up there. And instinctively, something told him he could make it up there, if only he tried—
Without thinking, Hector backed up, bent his knees, and sprung towards the wall. The Beastlings gasped collectively, and Mahina nervously fluttered her wings. Soon, Hector grabbed onto a rock jutting out of the wall. He was close to the top, and he shakily raised his other hand. It grasped the edge, and he slowly pulled himself up the rest of the way.
Then, Hector was perched next to Mahina, and he carefully turned around. Mahina sighed in relief as the Beastlings stared up at him. After a few seconds, everyone started cheering and clapping, and Hector couldn't help a grin.
"Wow! Jumping high!" "Climbing good!" "Teaching us!"
Ochette laughed as they let out various shouts of excitement, but she said, "All right, that's really great, Hector! But you better come down or Pops will get mad at me."
"Why?"
"'Cause it's really high, and he won't want you to fall. He might wanna know that you can do it, though…" she added thoughtfully. Then, she shook her head and called, "So come on down! I'll catch you, okay?"
Hector nodded. Then, he sprang downwards as Ochette opened her arms. There was an exhilarating rush of air, and then Hector crashed into her. Ochette giggled as they tumbled backwards and rolled to a stop. Hector was slightly dazed, yet the experience had been fun—much more fun than he'd thought.
Something else abruptly crashed into him, and Hector yelped as he was knocked off Ochette. Soon, he was lying on his back and staring up at one of the Beastling children. She grinned at him and wiggled her ears.
"Rolling fun?" she suggested. "Liking jumping?"
"Petra, that's not fair!" Ochette said as she sat up, but she was smiling, too. "You have to tell Hector if you're going to do that, or else you have the advantage."
Hector was silent at first. He'd only ever seen the other monsters (he still thought of them that way, despite Papa's insistence otherwise) tackle each other when they fought and were out to attack. But this—Petra just wanted to play. And the rush of falling and tumbling over Ochette had been different. It felt good, much better than anything he'd done with Harvey.
So Hector grinned and rolled to the side, forcing Petra off him. She shrieked with laughter as they rolled around, over and over, until Hector had pinned her down instead. "Rolling is fun," he decided, and Petra nodded.
The other Beastling children shouted in agreement, and it wasn't long before they were dashing around the area in earnest. Hector wasn't used to being chased; he usually ended up getting tackled to the ground when someone caught up with him. But he remained the best at climbing (jumping, Ochette corrected him—Hector had a natural advantage there).
By the end of the afternoon, Hector was winded and covered in grass stains, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He was learning what it meant to play, and he was exhausted yet pleased with himself for it.
